In this interview, we delve into the world of THE WHOOLIGAN, who share his inspirations and unique perspectives.
1. Introduce Yourself to the Casawi Community: What drives you? What's your artistic vision, and what sets you apart from the crowd?
Peace, my name is Julio G aka The Whooligan. I’m a fan and student of music, first and foremost. I’ve been DJ’ing, traveling the world and dabbling in music production for over 20 years, and involved in the industry for about the same amount of time. I realized very quickly that to succeed in the music game, I had to learn to wear many hats. For the past 4 years I developed artists & labels with Paradise Worldwide, a digital distribution company based in Berlin - I was also the Creative Director and A&R for our subsidiary record label, Paradise The Label. Paradise is an incredible company and team, we accomplished a lot of amazing work together and cultivated a ton of dope artists. What I’m most passionate about though, is my creative partnership with famed natural wine bar & lifestyle brand, SAUCED. I’m the Music Director for the brand and all four of our locations - Brooklyn, Manhattan, Los Angeles, Nashville - as well as our media property and online radio network, SAUCED RADIO. My artistic vision is comprised of three parts - my global travels, how I craft my sets together (typically multi-genre and along the dance music spectrum) and the musical platforms I help develop, providing creatives an opportunity to share their talents with the world. I’m inspired by all walks of life - our art, our stories, our journey - we all have so much in common, and that common thread allows me to feel more connected when I create. We’re all going through something, we’re all fighting battles, healing, exploring ourselves and our surroundings. This is why we dance. And this is why I started my social impact & music collective, Room Service International. I ask myself with every project, ‘how does this collaboration create a positive impact within the community, but also support the livelihood and development of my team and I? How do we find meaning through travel and service, and what role does music play in all of it?’ The ins and outs of music, and the people that create it, excite me, from studio to headphones to dance-floors to bookings, rollouts and marketing, and of course, performing. I’ve carved an interesting niche for myself as both a globally-recognized Artist and local music plug. Aside from life’s daily battles, I’m an inherently positive person and have an undeniable love for bringing people together - I think this is evident in all that I do - my relentless work ethic has provided a vast amount of opportunity, resources and knowledge to people I care about and want to see succeed. I’m just blessed to be doing my part; have a hand in such a diverse and unique community, and be amongst individuals from all walks of life who help this underground music scene thrive every single day.
2. City Inspirations: How has your city influenced your artistic path? Share how its streets, culture, and energy have molded your work.
I was born in Los Angeles, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and now reside in New York City. I’m lucky to have evolved in such powerful, geographical music cities, while continuously learning about deep societal and political history and its impact on culture. I’m first generation Ecuadorian American, and I experienced a melting pot of music growing up - Latin, Jazz, Salsa, 80’s, Funk, Soul, 90’s Hip Hop & R&B, House and Disco - thanks to my family, my homies (whose CD’s I used to borrow and rip) and of course, the radio. I was glued to the radio growing up. My parents had a decent record collection, mainly musica Latina - Cumbia, Merengue y Salsa Vieja. I didn’t always have money to cop the newest records, but I was resourceful, I knew the exact timeline when the record store would dump their promos or backstock in the back alley - I came up on some legendary mixtapes and white labels as a kid. I didn’t even know that was a thing until I started digging for music in my later teens. I earned my stripes in the Bay. The contribution and magnitude that musicians and DJ’s from the Bay have made to music, and its history, is undeniable. Absolute icons, from all backgrounds and genres, have come from the Bay. This was wild inspiring and gave me a different palette growing up. I loved all types of music, it wasn’t just Hip Hop or Bay Area Rap, I gravitated to everything that had Soul. My household was also unique, the music we played, the way we danced, everyday was like a scene out of a movie. Music was foundational for me and my upbringing - I remember my siblings would take me to their house parties as a kid and have me dance in front of their homies. Despite our age difference, I hung out with them and their friends all of the time - that had a lot to do with my early appreciation for music. My imagination for music and the joy it brought people was sparked from early house parties, and our extended family coming over to dance, drink wine and eat my mom’s bomb cooking. It makes sense that I’m now professionally involved, and forever in love with music and hospitality.
3. Creative Process: What fuels your creativity? Whether it's a ritual, a muse, or a moment of clarity, we're keen to learn.
My creativity is fueled by life - every bit of it rolled into one - wins, set backs, bounce backs, love, heartbreak, self-discovery, family, friends, travels and the countless stories and experiences music has blessed me with throughout my journey. When I DJ or do the work that I do, I awaken this energy, I’m like Clark Kent when I go into the booth. And when certain feelings or emotions are evoked - when I think about my past, the good, the bad, the unknown, the immense amount of inner work and healing I’ve been doing - it’s all channeled through my performances, music and mixes, even when I’m just compiling or archiving, music brings me to another universe and it’s never been more sacred to me than it is now. Digging for music, or diving deep into yourself, is just as much an art form as is creating and producing - I keep what serves me or make space for something new. I love to create and perform from a place of joy and excitement, but I also feel like I need some sort of friction or tension in order to properly release. The best art and creation, the most clarity, growth and evolution, stems from pain, and strengthens by discipline and repetition. Pain can be a positive thing though. It’s like going to the gym, journaling or therapy for me - I surrender myself physically, mentally and spiritually for the greater good. The deeper and harder I go, the more committed I am, the stronger I get, the more I heal, the more I unearth and learn about myself. David Bowie said it best, “Your best art will be that which helps you to understand yourself better.”
4. City Lifestyle and Art: How the places you lived influenced your career and work?
I’ve lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Los Angeles is my genesis, it’s where I first heard sound, where I listened to Latin records for the first time, it’s the living room where my mother twirled me and taught me how to Salsa for the first time. LA was experiencing a very volatile and revolutionary moment in time when I was a kid. The music that came out of this time period is some of the best music of my generation that was ever created. My parents moved us shortly after, when my father got a new job in the Bay. San Francisco is really where my musical journey began. My influences were amplified by my inner circle, my family and my OG’s who taught me about the streets, music, about life. I was addicted to learning about everything that had to do with music and its relationship with the world. I joined La Raza and Hip Hop for Artistic Culture in college, studied and immersed myself in political movements, learned African American and Latino history and dove deeper into Hip Hop. Even though my musical selections, as a DJ, have evolved into the House/Electronic music spectrum, Hip Hop will always be the cornerstone of my musical identity. After my sophomore year of college, I got a job at Amoeba Music on Haight Street - IYKYK. Amoeba became the nucleus for what my professional music career would become. Fast forward, I moved to New York, around the time my 6 year work tenure ended as the Director of Worldwide Bookings and Partnerships for an LA-based music collective. I wanted to become a small fish in a big pond again, to test my limitations and it was a journey that brought about many growing pains - the mistakes, the successes - I look back and I still feel proud and accomplished of all the work I did with that collective. It was a movement. I always knew I needed more though; more freedom, open-mindedness, transparency and growth, hence my move to the East Coast. It’s been over 10 years now, but I’ve always romanticized living in New York; Nuyorican Soul, Jazz loops, gangster flicks. I owe my refined taste in music, food, art and culture, friendships that have become family, development and strength to New York, I’m thankful for every lesson the city has taught me.
5. Latest or Upcoming Projects: Give us a glimpse into your current endeavors and what lies ahead on your creative journey.
I’m excited to be working on new music again, for the simple sake of having fun and creating. No huge projects planned, just freely flowing. I have beats that I started and never finished - this year I want to focus on finding a rhythm, getting tracks done and releasing music, either collaboratively or solo, just bringing all of these ideas to life. I’ve spent a lot of time ideating, reflecting and putting my energy into many different places and people - I learned a lot, but this year is about me, respectfully. I’m excited to continue diving into hospitality and the food & beverage world with my team at SAUCED, fostering deeper connections and building a global community that appreciates good wine and the people who produce it, and of course, all of the joy that comes from it. What we do at SAUCED is really just a reflection of our zest and curiosity for life. We opened 3 new locations in 2024 and it was a huge undertaking - it gave me a new perspective for togetherness and it motivated me to be even more diligent about providing a platform for DJ’s and creatives to do their thing. I traveled a couple hundred thousand miles in 2024, and that’s an insane amount compared to my 20+ years of traveling the world and performing. My travels this year inspired me to reignite Room Service - I learned so much more about the world, about myself, and experienced never-ending beauty. Music is so powerful. The travel came with a lot of sacrifice though - I realized this year that it’s time to stay put, prioritize myself, and be present for my people, our businesses and things in my life here at home. 2025 is about recalibrating - my mission, my relationships, and my approach to music. My creative journey begins at the core of my existence, how I show up, how I continue doing this internal work, learning acceptance, and becoming stronger mentally and physically. I want my creative endeavors to be a mirror into myself, with all of the imperfections, beauty and fly funky shit rolled into one. Straight from the soul; music that people can relate to, music that breaks down walls and invites people to come together, music that awakens my inner spirit once again.
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Listen Larry June "In My Pockets" (Julio G Edit) below.
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Instagram: @thewhooligan
Photo credit: @laciphotography | laciphotography.com
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Casawi Magazine: based in Milan, we celebrate youth culture, creativity, and community across fashion, sports, music, art, design & more.
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